Ladder support



March 27, 1934. LARSEN 1,952,761

LADDER SUPPORT Filed Aug. 4, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l M FIG. 1

March 27, 1934. NRLARSEN 1,952,761

LADDER SUPPORT Filed Aug. 4, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 P2 E! F 44 E E1 March 27, 1934. N. P. LARSEN LADDER SUPPORT Filed Aug. 4 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 vucm iot- Jul -,1;

March 27, 1934. LAR EN 1,952,761,

} LADDER SUPPORT Filed Aug. 4, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Mar. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LADDER SUPPORT Application August 4, 1933, Serial No. 683,634

14 Claims. (01. 228-6)- This invention relates to motor vehicles and particularly to those, which are used by public utility companies, for servicing trailic lights, curb lights and I other equipment that is usually mounted above the ground. Modern traffic conditions have necessitated the use of a truck that has a ladder, which can be easily manipulated, which is light in weight and which will occupy a relatively small space on the truck.-

An additional problem is the fact that cars are apt to be parked in front of a curb light standard and so provision must be made for a ladder that is supportedentirely by the truck and thatcan still be swung into servicing position over a car that is parked beside the curb. An object of the present invention therefore, is to make a ladder support that enables an extension ladder to be mounted above the roof of a truck, and to be held securely in place while the truck is in motion.

An additional object is to provide means for automatically locking the ladder either in elevated or in lowered position; thus reducing to a minimum the time required for raising and lowering it.

My invention also contemplates a swiveled ladder support that is mounted directly on the floor of the truck, and that permits the ladder to be swung laterally and adjustably supported at various angles of inclination with reference to the truck.

Referring now to the drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation of a truck showing a ladder supported thereon in lowered position; Fig. 2 is a side eleva tion of the truck with the ladder in elevated position; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale and illustrates diagrammatically the position of a ladder when supported by the side of the truck; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through part of the truck and illustrates the side ladder support mechanism; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line 5-'5 in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a top plan view partly in section of the swivel block;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on the line 8-8 in Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a detailed view of the upper ladder pivot; Figs. 10 and 11 are sections taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 9 Fig. 12 is a detailed view of the front ladder support,

and Fig. 13 is a detailed view of the lowest rung of the ladder. I

My invention is shown in connection with a truck which is indicated in general at 10, as having a floor 11, a shiftable roof 12, and sides 13 and 14 respectively. An extension ladder 15 is pivotally mounted on a cross bar 16, and when not in use, it is supported in substantially horizontal position as is shown in Fig. 1 above the truck roof. To this end, I utilize a front cross bar 17 that is carried by posts 18 that are attached to 80 the vehicle body.

The mechanism for holding the ladder in horizontal position enables it to be quickly elevated v and returned to the normal position and provides means for automatically looking it in either posi- 66 tion. The locking device for holding it in horizontal position preferably comprises a pair of yieldable metallic strips 20 that are fatsened to the cross bar 17 and that project upwardly therefrom. The strips are bent intermediatelyand 70 then downwardly so as to provide guides for the ladder, as it is dropped into horizontal position. The weight of the ladder sufiiciently compresses the springs to avoid rattling. This accomplishment is enhanced by so curving the inner ends 21 of the strips that the planes of the strips adjacent the ends of the arms are inclined to the axis of the cross bar 17. A corresponding taper on bearing blocks 22 maintains a contiguous action along the entire face of the blocks, as is shown in Fig. 12. A helical spring 23 surrounds the cross bar and assists the guide springs in holding the ladder in place. Each of the helical springs bears at one endagainst the stationary end 19 of the guide strips and at the other end against the movable end of the guide strips.

A more detailed view of the ladder pivot 16 is illustrated in Fig. 9, wherein a sleeve 1 is loosely mounted on a bar 2, which is supported at its ends on brackets 3. The sleeve carries lugs 4 that are adapted to extend into bails 5 that are shown in Figs. 9 and 10, as being mounted on the inner sides of the ladder rails. The sleeve also carries ladder guides 6-. which have slots 7 into which tongues 8 on the ladder extend. Thus the ladder may be slid along the pivot until the lugs are adjacent the bails. One of the guides 6 may be SWllIlg about its pivot 9 to admit the lugs under the balls, and then looked on the sleeve in the position shown'in Fig. 9, by tightening a nut on the end of the pivot bolt. This allows a sliding movement of the ladder about its pivot, so as to permit the actuation of a clamping mechanism that is disposed near the floor of the truck. To limit movement of the pivot sleeve, I have shown an adjusting screw '75 that is carried by an arm 76 and that is adapted to engage one of the brackets 3. The arm in turn is rigidly mounted on the sleeve, as is shown in Figs. 9 and 11.

v Normally the roof covers the body of the truck, llO

as is illustrated in Fig. 1. It is adapted however, to be shifted forwardly, so as to permit adequate space for swinging one end of the ladder downwardly, as is shown in Fig. 2. The friction guides 20 allow the forward end of the ladder to be raised whenever the rearward end is pulled downwardly.

In the preferred arrangement, the ladder is automatically locked whenever it is forced downwardly into engagement with the swivel block. To effect a more secure interlocking action between the ladder and block however, I have provided a two piece lock wherein one part 30 is pivotally connected to another part 31. The part 30 carries the post 32 that is adapted to enter a socket 33 in a floor plate 34 while the other part 31 has a foot plate 35 and arms 36 that are pivotally connected at 37 to the part 30. The arms 36 terminate in hooks 26 that engage the bottom rungs of the ladder whenever it is swung downwardly above the pivot 16. The foot plate 35 may be slidably supported on the part 31 and is normally urged toward the part 30 by a spring 38. The forward end of the plate terminates in .a latch 39 that is adapted to engage teeth on a lug 41. The lug, in turn, is disposed on the part 30. as is shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The normal position of the pivot plate 35 is illustrated in Fig. 8 wherein the latch 39 is disposed above the tooth 80. The weight of the foot plate tends to depress it, and thereby to move the latch below the tooth 80, but the spring 38 is sufficiently strong to prevent such movement, and so the foot plate is free to move upwardly whenever the upper edges 81 of the arms 36 are engaged by the ladder. During such downward motion of the ladder, the lowest rung depresses the arms until the rung passes over the sockets 82. The position of the foot plate and arms while the ladder is depressing the arms is illustrated by the dot and dash lines 35a. The ladder is swung downwardly until the rung engages the stationary arms 83, which are carried on the part 30, and during such motion, the part 30 is centered with reference to the ladder by tapered shoulders 84, which provide a guideway for a lug 85 on the lowermost rung of the ladder.

After the rung passes over the socket, the arms 36 move upwardly to the position shown by the dot and dash lines 351), at which time the socket 82 engages the rung and automatically looks it to the swivel block. At such time, the latch 39 is still above the tooth 80. To clamp the ladder rung therefor, the operator steps on the foot plate 35, and presses it downwardly until the latch 39 passes the teeth 80 and 86. The clamped position is then illustrated by the full lines in Fig. 8.

The swivel block locks the lower end of the ladder, and yet allows it to be swung to a vertical position, and then turned through an angle of substantially ninety degrees and rested against the side of the truck body. The position of the side bar is adjustable so that the angle of inclination of the ladder may be varied in accordance with the distance between the truck and the article to be serviced.

The preferred mechanism for accomplishing the adjustment comprises a guide frame that is movable in vertically disposed guideways 51 on the inner face of the side 14. The frame, in the preferred arrangement, comprises an upper set 52 and a lower set 53 of bearing blocks that are interconnected by links 54. The blocks of the upper set may be interconnected with the bar 50 by links 55 that are pivotally connected to the blocks and bar respectively. Additional supporting arms for the bar are indicated at 56, as being pivotally mounted at 57 on the partition wall 58.

A portion 59 of the outer side wall, that is disposed opposite the ladder support, is rigidly attached to the arms 56 and is therefore movable outwardly with the ladder support 50. The top of the portion 59 is illustrated, as having a channel-shaped edge 60 that cooperates with similarly formed edges 61 and 62 to make a continuous guideway for the roof when the wall 59 is in position shown in Fig. 5.

The weight of the ladder against the side wall support 50 tends to force it outwardly. Accordingly to hold it in any selective position, I have provided a latch bar 65 that has a plurality of stops 66 arranged thereon at definite intervals. The latch bar is vertically and rotatably supported between a stationary bar 67 and a floor bracket 68, and is disposed alongside and transversely of a bar 69 that connects the lower set of guide blocks 53. Thus, the latch bar may be swung about its axis to position any one of the stops 66 in the path of bar 69 and thereby to hold the ladder support in any desired position.

To oscillate the latch bar in a convenient manner, I have illustrated a foot pedal 70 that is connected through a link '71 to an arm 72 which projects from the latch bar adjacent the lower end thereof. A spring '73 tends to hold the latch bar in looking position. Thus, whenever the angular position of the ladder is to be adjusted the operator merely allows the weight of the ladder to rest against the side support and holds his foot on the pedal 70 until the desired angle is obtained. The ladder may then be extended to the desired height.

After the ladder has been used, the side support may be returned to the original position merely by the exertion of downward pressure on the bar 69. To this end, a foot plate 74 projects laterally from the bar and provides a step onto which the operator may stand.

An advantage of the ladder support, which I have illustrated and described is the fact that one man may manipulate the ladder quickly and conveniently. In addition, the self-locking feature insures an adequate and rigid support and minimizes the time required for erecting and lowering the ladder. Moreover, as the ladder support comprises a swivel block and is detachably mounted on the floor of the truck, there is adequate space for working inside the truck whenever the ladder is not required for use. This allows the truck to be used for purposes other than service work.

I claim:-

1. In combination, a motor vehicle having a roof, a ladder pivotally supported by the vehicle above the roof, and locking means carried by the vehicle floor, and operating to lock the ladder automatically in elevated position, whenever one end of it is swung downwardly about the pivot, and a .rung thereon is engaged by the locking means.

2. In combination, a motor vehicle, a ladder pivotally mounted thereon, a member swivelly mounted on the vehicle below the pivot, a second member pivotally mounted on the first member for engaging the ladder, and a latch carried by the second member for locking the ladder in elevated position.

3. In combination, a motor vehicle having a roof, a ladder pivotally supported thereon, and

adjacent the roof thereof, a support carried by the vehicle and forwardly of the pivot for frictionally engaging and holding the ladder in lowered position with reference to the vehicle, said support comprising apair of inverted U- shaped spring metal strips, each extending upwardly from the vehicle, and having the outer ends thereof rigidly attached to the vehicle and having the inner ends movable toward and away from each othez and helical springs disposed between the arms of the strips for urging them apart.

4. In' combination, a motor vehicle having a shiftable roof, a ladder mounted on the vehicle above the roof, and a clamp adjacent the floor of the vehicle adapted to be actuated for locking the ladder in elevated position whenever the roof is shifted a predetermined degree with reference to the vehicle.

5. In combination, a motor vehicle, a ladder supported intermediately thereby, and a clamp including a member that is swivelly mounted with reference to the vehicle, said member having a portion thereof terminating in a hook for supporting the ladder and a ratchet device carried by and movable with reference to the member for locking the ladder in elevated position.

6. In combination, a motor vehicle, a ladder associated therewith means on the vehicle for engaging the ladder and automatically looking it in elevated position, and other manually operable means including a foot plate and a latch for providing additional security to the locking means.

'7. In combination, a motor vehicle, a ladder supported thereby, said support including a device for pivotally and swivelly mounting the ladder thereon, said device including a guide block and an arm pivoted thereon, the arm having a hook thereon for engaging a rung, and ratchet means carried by the arm for locking it while the ladder is held in elevated poston.

8. In combination, a motor vehicle, a ladder, a support swivelly mounted on the floor of the vehicle for engaging a rung of the ladder, a support on the side of thevehicle for engaging the ladder intermediate the ends thereof, and means for shifting the side support to vary the angular elevated position of the ladder.

9. In combination, a vehicle truck having a floor, and a ladder support including a member swivelly mounted on the floor, a second member pivotally mounted on the first member and having a pair of arms, each arm terminating in a hook for engaging a rung of the ladder, and a yieldable latch for providing an interlocking connection between the two members.

10. In combination, a motor vehicle having a floor, a ladder support carried by the floor and comprising a swiveled block and a clamp pivotally mounted thereon, said clamp including an arm having a socket therein for receiving a rung of the ladder, said socket operating to hold the ladder automatically whenever it is swung downwardly into engagement therewith and yieldable means for providing an interlocking connection between the clamp and block.

11. In combination, a vehicle truck, a ladder pivotally and swivelly mounted thereon, and a support for engaging the ladder above the pivot, said support being disposed adjacent the side of the vehicle, and including a bar, and mechanism for holding the bar at various positions with reference to the vehicle, said mechanism including a vertically disposed guideway, slides therein, and.

links connecting the slides to the bar.

12. In combination, a motor vehicle having a ladder supported thereon adjacent the floor thereof, and having a second support adjacent the side thereof, and above the floor, the side support being shiftable with reference to the floor, whereby the ladder may beprojected at various angles over the side of the vehicle, and mechanism for holding the side support in various positions; said mechanism including a vertically movable frame, and a latch device for engaging the frame, said latch device having a plurality of stops thereon, means for normally urging the device into locking position, and a manually operable means for releasing the latch. V

13. In combination, a motor vehicle having a shiftable roof, a guideway for the roof, a ladder, means for pivotally supporting the ladder adjacent the floor of the vehicle, a support on the .side of the vehicle for engaging the ladder in- 

